These melt-in-your-mouth chocolate pumpkin fudge balls are ridiculously good.
What do you do when you’re stressed?
I’m normally an exceptionally outgoing person.
But when I feel overwhelmed, I generally prefer to be alone, to process everything in my head.
I’ll go for a long walk or run, lay in bed with my feet up against the wall, or listen to loud blasting metal or rock, with headphones on so as not to drive my neighbors crazy.
Or I make food!
Trending Now: Crustless Pumpkin Pie
Measuring ingredients, mixing batters, rolling dough, and even doing the dishes are all therapeutic to me.
No thinking is required; my hands can work on autopilot, giving my overworked mind a rest.
And it doesn’t hurt that—after I’m finished with the measuring, mixing, and rolling—there is chocolate to eat!
Chocolate!
And in the case of today’s recipe, chocolate and pumpkin and coconut.
Each pumpkiny chocolate bite of these addictively delicious pumpkin fudge balls absolutely melts in your mouth.
Goodbye, stress.
What do you do when you feel stressed?
Do you call a friend or prefer to be alone? Listen to music or prefer silence?
I think it’s funny how people can have such different coping mechanisms for stressful situations.
For instance, one of my friends likes to jump in the car and drive for hours, to no place in particular, when he feels overwhelmed.
But to me, this would feel like a waste of time… which would stress me out even more.
Pumpkin Fudge Balls
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup pumpkin puree
- 6 tbsp coconut butter, (for coconut-free, try these Chocolate Truffles)
- 2 tbsp pure maple syrup, honey, or agave
- 1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1/8 tsp cinnamon
- tiny pinch salt
- Only if not coating in chocolate, add stevia to taste OR 1 additional tbsp both pure maple syrup and coconut butter
- Optional chocolate coating, listed in instructions below
Instructions
- Make sure no ingredients are cold. In a cereal bowl, stir together all truffle ingredients until completely smooth. Refrigerate half an hour or until firm enough to roll into balls with your hands or a mini cookie scoop. If you wish to coat them in chocolate, either dip in melted chocolate OR mix together equal parts virgin coconut oil, cocoa powder, and pure maple syrup until a thin sauce forms. Dip fudge balls in, then immediately set back in the freezer to harden. Leftover balls should be stored in the fridge or freezer for up to three days.View Nutrition Facts
Notes
More Healthy Pumpkin Recipes:
Pumpkin Breakfast Cupcakes To-Go
Vegan Pumpkin Swirl Cream Cheese Bread
(From the Hello Breakfast eBook)
Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
I find baking very therapeutic as well. When I am stressed I love just being alone in the kitchen baking or cooking up something yummy! I also find yoga is a great stress reliever! I love that these pumpkin truffles contain THREE of my fav. ingredients – Hello, Chocolate, Coconut and Pumpkin! Cannot wait to try these 🙂 Pinned!
I thought I was the only one who actually enjoyed baking (not just the food!) Every else I know bakes for the outcome and not the baking journey! I think baking is fun and relaxing as well.
Cherry, you are definitely not the only one who loves baking, lot’s of us do. I subbed coconut butter for coconut oil and it turned out a bit too oily for me. But the treats tasted great! I love the flavors!
I’m in the same boat I love a bit of alone time and baking when I’m stressed! A little bit of music in the background to bop along to doesn’t hurt either 🙂 These look absolutely amazing! All about baking with pumpkin while it’s still the season xx
What could you sub for the coconut butter? Almond Butter or Coconut Oil? I don’t have any coconut butter on hand.
You can always make your own! 🙂
https://lett-trim.today/2011/01/26/make-your-own-coconut-butter/%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E
When I am stressed, I like to eat . . . but most importantly, I pray . . . alone.
I bake to clear my head too. Especially is time of year…
These look perfect – love chocolate and pumpkin together! When I’m stressed, I usually bake or workout/go for a walk. After I’ve calmed myself down a bit, I like to call a family member or friend and vent a little 🙂
These look fabulous. I’ve been enjoying the taste of pumpkin and chocolate lately myself.
Pretty colour 🙂
Doing kitchen magic is therapeutic to me, too. But in the first place I go for a good run, nothing clears my head better and removes more adrenaline than that!
I LOVE little balls! I made some PB ones for my bf the other week… he would love the pumpkin flavor- his fav!
For the pumpkin puree, are you talking the canned stuff that people usually use to make pumpkin pie, or getting a pumpkin and cooking it and pureeing the flesh?
Either will work!
Thank you!
Is there a decent substitute for the coconut butter? I love(d) coconut, but am allergic to it!
🙁 Thank you for all of the wonderful recipes!
Unfortunately you will have to experiment. But be sure to report back if you do!
Reporting back! Subbing cashew butter worked great with some changes.
I made these as written the other day (Delish), and last night my older daughter asked for more so I made them again, but with cashew butter instead of coconut butter. The first try was a bust, way too wet even after overnight in the fridge… Especially once they hit the lukewarm chocolate dip… I’d used the maple syrup as before and I’d used organic pumpkin purée which was a lot wetter than Libby’s.
Anyway… My daughters graciously ate the pumpkin “pudding” for breakfast & I tried again without maple syrup. I still used the organic pumpkin, but when I heated it up I melted coconut sugar into it (it was pretty good with 1T but I added a second). Then it dawned on me that because I wasn’t using coconut butter I didn’t need to melt anything else so I stirred the sweetened pumpkin into the cashew butter, chilled it about an hour and it worked great. Still not as firm as the original but rollable and dip-able and very creamy and delicious.
cashew butter
Hi Katie!
Thanks for another fabulous recipe! I just made these and I can’t tell you how hard it was to wait for the pumpkin mix to cool (I ate at least 3 tablespoons of it warm haha). Luckily I had complete faith that the recipe WOULD be this good… So I doubled it. I went with your chocolate dip recipe. So easy and fast!
😉
Beth
(When I’m stressed I cook too. Having a lengthy task that requires full attention is what I seek out.)
Beth, did you use the canned pumpkin stuff that people use for pumpkin pie, or did you use straight pureed pumpkin? I’m not sure which she means in the recipe.
I used regular old Libby’s canned pumpkin!
Just a FYI for those making the chocolate dip and doing a double batch, I used 3T of each (coconut oil, natural cocoa powder, Grade B maple syrup) and it was the perfect amount for 20 balls (and makes them about 140 calories each that way… Not counting calories BUT… I try to be mindful). These are highly addicting!! I’m making up for the indulgence of eating 6 by eating apple-cabbage salad for all my other meals and snacks today, lol.
Mmm these look amazing and so simple to make!
Oooh! Look so yummy! I’m so glad fall weather/food/fashions are finally here! When I’m stressed, I read a good book, exercise, pray, or play the piano 🙂
I love using baking as therapy, the only problem is, I want to eat the whole pan/sheet/recipe when I’m done if I bake while stressed.
But these look delicious, I could totally eat them all stressed or not.
Happy Friday!
Kay~
Mmmm, I hear ya sister – totally had to go for an evening walk today, and as soon as I stepped outta the doorstep, it started raining, but it felt refreshing as today was quite a bit hotter than it has been over the last past week.
Earlier I had a couple of friends over for dinner, and it went down a treat! ^ ^
These pumpkin sweets looks amazing, I love the colour! I hope you have a fantasmic weekend Katie 😀 x